YouTube and BBC iPlayer content can now be controlled using the power of your thoughts. MindRDR TV, developed by user experience company, This Place, is a thought interface which connects Neurosky’s EEG brainwave sensor to popular video platforms. Organisations are experimenting with this technology to explore its potential, which could include making TV more accessible.
MindRDR TV enables the Neurosky EEG – which measures brainwaves to translate brain activity into action – to communicate directly with a mobile device (e.g. Android tablet which can be Chromecast to a TV). This allows users to control actions on the TV and tablet by simply changing their mental state.
Once the headset is worn and paired to a mobile device, a selection of the top five most popular TV programmes are displayed to the user.
The interface cycles through each programme until the user selects an item based on their calibrated brainwaves. The selected program will then playback automatically until the user focuses to go back to the discovery interface. MindRDR TV allows users to personalise their control focus to either concentration and relaxation.
Based on focused research looking at reducing false positives and fatigue, users can now use a thought interface with a good level of accuracy and for extended periods of time. MindRDR TV is the first app to feed off This Place’s research into practical brain signal processing for UX.
These two content platforms are the first to get special experimental MindRDR TV interfaces, via bespoke apps, with further platforms supported in the future. MindRDR TV utilises standard deep-linking to feed off existing on-demand IPTV platforms so can be deployed universally with partner platforms. This Place is now talking to TV enablers, such as OEMs, EEG Brainwave sensor manufacturers and service providers about integrating MindRDR TV into the big screen proposition.
MindRDR TV, which was created through focused development and user research, was created by the team behind MindRDR, the thought interface for wearables. Launched in 2014, it allowed users to control Google Glass with their minds.
MindRDR TV is the first platform to solve one of TVs biggest problems in user interaction. Until now, the true 'leanback' TV experience has evaded TV platforms because users have always had to constantly switch focus between the input device, be it a remote control or a second screen device and the TV. Now users can look at one point of focus, the big screen, without changing focus to look at a tablet, phone or remote control. The adventure into truly immersive TV interaction is now possible.
Dusan Hamlin, founder and CEO of This Place, says: "We've always been interested in the challenge of 'smart' TV interfaces. They can be extremely difficult to navigate with a remote control or even a second screen device. So we decided to focus on dramatically improving the user experience by removing barriers between users and the content they want to watch. In fact, we removed every single barrier so people can directly control TVs with their mind."
Chloe Kirton, creative director at This Place, added: "While MindRDR TV is currently limited to popular content from these two platforms, we can see a future where this sort of technology is built into smart devices and TVs so users can select their favourite Game of Thrones episode just by thinking about it. This would not only make IPTV easier to use, but it also gives those with conditions like locked-in syndrome, severe multiple sclerosis or quadriplegia the opportunity to control these devices without any assistance."
The Android version of MindRDR TV for YouTube is being prepared for a limited research focus release on the Google Play store. This Place are currently engaging with interested service providers to be part of this exciting phase in TV and provide IPTV services to those users most interested in hands free digital.
The iPlayer version was commissioned by the BBC as an internal development project and is not currently available for public use.
To see MindRDR in action, please watch the video
This Place is a design studio leading the way in creating smarter digital services on web, mobile, tablet and wearable devices. In addition to client work, the team also dedicates their time to working on commercially viable digital innovation projects.
The company specialises in user experience design, which is the process of making digital services easier and more enjoyable to use. This Place also creates ‘optimal profitability’ interfaces for high transaction destinations across web, mobile and tablet, and is the preferred partner to major global brands such as The Delhaize Group.
CEO Dusan Hamlin, has spent his entire career driving digital innovation projects that focus on return on investment, he has worked with industry leading brands such as adidas, Reebok, Phillips CE and Amazon. Dusan is the founder of Europe’s first full service Mobile Innovations Company, Inside Mobile (Now M&C Saatchi Mobile), a business that was successfully integrated into the M&C Saatchi network in 2010. In Dec 2012, Dusan left M&C Saatchi Mobile to start This Place.
For intormation about this project, or for a case study, please contact:
Ben Aldred
Director
0203 0212130
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